Journey of Reverso: Part 2 (Reverso GT Grande Taille)

Before I start this review, I think it's best to review some comparison shots from the last reverso I reviewed.

 Size comparison between the GT and the Squadra

After deciding that the squadra was perhaps not the best fit for my 6.5 inch wrist, I moved onto a Reverso GT with a ostrich strap. I had always liked the idea of a classic and constrained Reverso with slightly modern proportions.

The current JLC Reverso GT

The first JLC Reverso (1931)

The older "pre harmonized" GT

Basic specs:
42.2 x 26 mm x 9.5 mm
Water resistant to 3 atm
Time only
Caliber 822, manually wound, 134 parts, 21,600 VPH, 45 hr power reserve, 21 jewels, KIF shock protection (2), flat hairspring. Introduced in 1992, 22.6 mm x 17.2 mm x 2.3 mm.
Current materials: 18K pink gold, stainless steel (both on strap or respective bracelet)
MSRP (USD): 7,150 (Steel on Alligator), 8,100 (Steel on steel), 15,900 (pink gold on alligator), 30,300 (pink gold on pink gold) (Current as of Aug 31)

The version I purchased at the time was not the current version, although it uses the same movement and has the same case dimensions, there are two key differences: The dial does not have the wave guilloche, and it is not water resistant.

I think as a dress watch, this is the pinnacle. I used to consider the Reverso Tribute to 1931 the best but after trying it on and loving the watch as just a watch, I decided it was too large to serve it's correct purpose at 46 mm x 27 mm. Both watches use the same movement and are somewhat similarly thin (2.5 mm difference). There's not much to talk about regarding the movement, it's modestly finished, reliable, and has been in production for 20 years and used in a variety of watches from JLC reversos and also some Dunhill watches.

In some ways, perhaps more ways than one, this is a particularly boring watch. It's definitely a staple watch and a classic dress watch which is exactly what makes it quite boring. The dial of this vintage version is plain silver with printed numerals, the back is plain steel, and the clasp was a single deloyant clasp which made the standard length strap terrible for small wrists. The current version has a wavy guilloche dial, and a double deployant but despite the new deployant, the standard strap is still too long for a balanced fit (this is one of the reasons I prefer tang buckles).

Overall, it's a boringly well proportioned watch (as dress watches should be) housing a modest movement, but despite these characteristics, I have no qualms recommending this to anyone with nearly any wrist size. Strap problems can be overcome and nothing can beat the reverso for aesthetically perfect proportions (1:1.618).

The H-List: #1 Lange Pour Le Merit Tourbillon

I'm quite picky about watches, with a small wrist and old school sensibilities, I am strongly biased towards wearable watches that feature in-house movements with technical innovations, superb finishing doesn't hurt either. Although I have yet to find a true grail watch that fits all of these criteria, the closest single watch would have to be the A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Pour Le Merit Tourbillon.

The specs:
41.9 mm diameter, 12.2 mm high
Rose gold (unlimited) and platinum (100 examples)
Solid silver dial
Pivoting dial hour dial segment
21,600 VPH
351 parts (not including chain)
32 jewels: 31 rubies and 1 diamond
Fusee and chain transmission: Chain comprising of 636 parts
One minute tourbillon driving the seconds hand
Plates and bridges made of untreated nickel silver
Power reserve of 36 hours (artificially limited to provide optimum torque).
Assembled twice for optimum tolerances
MSRP (USD): Pink Gold 185,300, Platinum 223,600

Unlike many wo write about the watch, I have handled and tried on an example in platinum. But I have to say, anyone who muses over the watch is right to do so. At 42 by 12 mm, the PLM is similar in size to most medium sized dive watches, only a tad bit thinner.

Unlike these ETA powered watches, this is probably the best time-only watch on the planet, with the sole possible contender being Philippe Dufour's simplicity. It is also the finnest example of a regulator, in my opinion, being slightly better than the new 2012 Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Regulator. The dial is interesting and asymmetrical in the finnest Saxon tradition while the exacting details of the movements can never be adequately described using words.

Although the watch is German, a word that many associate with boring, strict, and over-engineered, it is perhaps only the latter two. The finish is immaculate and every aspect is perfect. It may cost as much as a middle-class house, but be assured that you're getting no less. The only hope I have for this watch is that it be a little bit smaller at perhaps 39 mm and 8mm, but that's an unreasonable expectation for such a complex watch.

I can continue to applaud the watch's technical achievements, but such a watch is not about that. This watch is about art and perfection, expressed through engineering instead of a brush.

Journey of Reverso: Part 1 (Reverso Squadra Hometime)

This is a series I'm doing about the five JLC Reversos I've owned in the past year, It will be updated weekly.

After thoroughly considering my upgrade options from the Breitling I received as a present, I settled on none other than Jaeger-LeCoultre. The brand was all in-house, generally well finished, and above all, of excellent value. After debating for some time I settled on the Reverso Squadra Hometime on a steel bracelet (Ref. 7008120 or 230.8.77). The choice was simple: The Reverso has the strongest JLC DNA, It had an innovative and strong 977 autotractor movement and was, in my opinion, the modern incarnation of the classic reverso which had been a sports watch. It also came on a bracelet which I prefer for durability and versatility.

I didn’t get a chance to try it on my 6.5 inch wrist so when it came, I learned that it was extremely large. The dimensions are 50.5 mm x 35 mm x 14 mm, but don’t let the 35 mm fool you, due to the fixed end links on the bracelet, the case is well over 50 mm long.

Some basic specs:

Released in 2006

JLC 977 “Autotractor” movement: Mechanical automatic winding, 234 parts, 29 jewels, 28,800 VPH, 48 hr power reserve.

Ceramic ball bearings

Freesprung balance with 4 adjustment screws and flat hairspring, incabloc.

Balance bridge

Stop seconds mechanism

GMT "hometime" indication with Day/Night indicator

JLC rocker style unidirectional automatic winding mechanism.

Rhodium plated with blued screws.

Slightly curved Sapphire crystal on both sides

Water resistant to 5 atm

MSRP (USD): 8,000 steel on alligator and rubber, 9,350 steel on steel, 21,100 rose gold on articulated rubber or alligator, 39,100 rose gold on rose gold (prices current as of Aug 23rd 2012)

Performance/movement

The watch certainly has no problems performing, on my wrist it was running a consistent 5.5 seconds fast everyday. JLC adjusts their watches so that they never run slow in any position. The disadvantage to reversos is that due to the difficulty of taking apart the case, adjustments can’t be done as easily or cheaply. The movement, as written on Purists for the 975 movement which the 977 is based on, is nice but not stellar. The superfluous holes drilled in the bridges for the CNC process are distracting, and the weight is not 22k gold as on most other models. It’s certainly pretty to look at, just not THAT pretty.

The GMT function worked quite well, the skeleton "home" hour hand stays the same while the normal hour hand can be moved around in one hour increments. The AM/PM indicator is synced to the skeleton "home" hand while the date is synced to the normal hour hand. The date is not quick setting but can be set in both directions due to the innovative maltese cross date mechanism.

I personally don't feel comfortable moving any hand on the watch but JLC says it's fine.

Bracelet

The bracelet is quite nice feeling, links are attached with screws. I had an issue where one of the screws kept coming loose regardless of how often they were tightened, my watchmaker recommended some blue Loctite but I just tightened the screw when I saw it come out. The edges of the bracelet are quite sharp which in my opinion is appropriate for this very geometric watch. There are 2 micro extensions on both sides of the clasp that will extend the bracelet by 4 mm at a time, this is essential to getting a good fit for the bracelet.

Bracelet before extension

Bracelet after 4 mm extension

Case 

The case is the same as a standard reverse case, only a lot bigger and square. The perlage on the inside of the steel backing is as fine as ever. The edges are again, quite sharp and the only issue I had was when I wore dress shirts, the edge of the case rubbed against the shirt and formed a persistent bit of white power on the inside of the case. This is not really an issue since the watch is a sports watch and not meant to be worn with work or formal clothing.

Perlage on back plate

The white fibers

Always fun to watch the rotor spinning, and quite smoothly too!

A word about the dial:

After having seen the more expensive black dial version, I believe that the white silver dial is the way to go, the simple horizontal guilloche is perfectly harmonized for the watch. 

This was my first reverso, with many to come, and if you have a 7+ inch wrist, it would be a great fit. It’s a solid tank of a watch with a movement to match.

Just keep in mind it’s as thick as a Rolex Sea Dweller and wears as large as a 44mm Panerai. Don't expect a Patek finish either.

Jaeger Lecoultre Reverso Squadra Review, JLC Reverso squadra review, JLC review, caliber 977, autotractor, 

A tour of the Harry Winston Manufactory in Geneva, Switzerland

After a sleepy week of hot springs, skiing, sledding, and overindulgence in Leukerbad, K. and I returned to Chemin du Tourbillon in Plan-les-Ouates (Plan-les-watches?) for the second time in two weeks. After some initial confusion at the reception, perhaps due to the holiday, we were welcomed by Luis Andre (who no longer works at HW) and Federica Vono (Communication assistant). Only part of the staff was working but we had a thorough tour nonetheless.

The still Christmas-themed reception area.

To the left we can see the rather small Alpina/Frederique Constant building; the Piaget building is the reddish building with the white columns.

We started off in the design department, where there were stacks of watch catalogues and magazines amongst the computers running Photoshop CS5 and AutoCAD and large Wacom tablets. There were marvelous hand sketched drawings of previous and new designs, including novelties in preparation for Basel 2012 (I didn’t get any photos though).

After the design department on the top floor, we proceeded downstairs to the machine shop where maintenance was busy repairing CNC machines used to manufacture cases out of gold, platinum, and Zalium. Luis confirmed that Harry Winston has no plans to release any watches in titanium or steel since Zalium was better than both for sporty pieces.

Machines weren’t having a good day…

Cases were individually polished by hand, as expected and then cleaned in ultrasonic baths. So far it seemed like any other manufactory, but that would soon change.

.

Hand Polishing and preparation of the gold case for setting.

Harry Winston, being famous for it’s exceptional jewelry, has excellent expertise in gem setting. Each watch being set has a diagram of the setting drawn, with each color representing a different cut/size of diamond. 

Setting diagram for “Talk To Me”

Diagram of setting for the “Avenue C”

Setting was, of course, done by hand under a microscope (Leica M60) by an master gem-setter.

Our gem setter was wearing a Project Z in Zalium (Z6?)

Fortunately, there was a television that mirrored the microscope for laypeople such as myself to try and understand. The setting is cut out, the diamond is placed in the slot, and the black tool Luis is pointing tool presses the edge of the case over the side of the diamond to keep it in place. The diamond quality used in the watches are of the same quality as used in Harry Winston Jewelry. I wasn’t told exactly what this quality was but believe it would be VVS F-G and higher.

The setter has the expertise to set any type of case and bracelet.

Setting a round case.

Setting the bracelet of a women’s piece (Avenue C in rose gold)

Setting a rectangular case (Avenue C in yellow gold)

Upstairs to the assembly and quality control departments.

Workbench with presorted kits.

“David” (not sure if that’s our watchmaker’s name, but that’s what it said on the plate) assembling the automatic winding mechanism.

Movement as supplied by Frédéric Piguet

Bottle of Harry Winston water, can be seen throughout the building (should have asked for one as a souvenir).

The focus of Harry Winston is on establishing partnerships with skilled (but not necessarily well known at the time) independent watchmakers, of whom includes F. P. Journe, Peter Speake-Marin, and Urwerk. Since Harry Winston is not an in-house movement manufacturer, its movements are designed by independent watchmakers and manufactured by Frédéric Piguet (Swatch Group). Luis seemed to have no problem admitting that they were not, at this time, a manufacturer, but that they do have to make improvements to certain movements received in order to have the desired power reserve. To those who say, “all Harry Winston does is hire other people to do their work”, Luis says, “You try doing it!” It would seem that cooperating with independent watchmakers could, at times, be a nightmare, especially with the deadlines of the real world. With regards to women’s watches, the emphasis is very much on the jewelry aspect; therefore women’s watches are mostly quartz.

Moving onto the casing department just across the hall from assembly.

OceanSport Automatics in Zalium waiting to be cased, along with their rate results

Casing up

Loctite machine, not sure what it’s for

After casing, watches are tested on a rotary tester (Duotest) before being sent for final inspection and water resistant testing.

Duotest rotary testing machine

Final inspection

Cased up, same watch (Talk To Me, Harry Winston, 5^th dial) we saw the diagram of earlier.

Waterproof testing (most are water resistant to 3 atm)

After the visit we went upstairs to the manufactory’s café, overlooking their neighbor Vacheron Constantin (who appeared to still be on vacation despite the then impending SIHH 2012). I had a frank conversation with Luis, who is the Managing director for Wholesale for Europe and Africa, about the direction of Harry Winston over a cup of cappuccino for myself and Ovomaltine for K.. I do not have a recording of the conversation and will try to paraphrase it the best I can. Please note that this is NOT an official interview and that I may have misstated things that Luis said, therefore this does not reflect the official position of Harry Winston.

Luis looking through the microscope at the gem-setting department, wearing his Premier Perpetual Calendar in White Gold.

Luis “allowed” me to take a photo of the neighbor from their terrace.

Ed: We mentioned that emerging markets, especially China, has largely purchased from traditional manufacturers such as Omega, Rolex, Vacheron, and Patek while steering clear of novelties. Since I would consider most of what HW does to be a novelty, what are your views on these markets.

Luis: There will a point when the Asian market will purchase more novelties, I see it as where our markets need to expand. Asia and the Middle East, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia…
Asia has more home renters than Europe, where people are willing to spend 2, 5, 10 thousand francs on a watch but not at the price range we’re in. People in Asia can save, and there is definitely demand for our watches there. When Europeans have disposable income, they travel rather than consume. Geneva is an exception, you see those advertisements in the airport that all the brands are fighting over, they’re for people like you. Visitors! Not for the people who live here.

Ed: So you think novelties will do well in emerging markets?

Luis: People are always looking for something new and unique. What we are doing is educating the consumers in Asia so that they understand how our works are unique. We can really deliver something unique. There aren’t many brands doing what we are right now.

Ed: Urwerk and the like?

Luis: De Bethune is doing something a little different, but not quite like us. As I said, as people start to own the more classical pieces, they will want something new, and we’re here for that.

Ed: Are there plans to fully integrate as a manufacturer?

Luis: There are not plans currently. We may begin to move some manufacturing in-house but we are still really focused on cooperation. Since we started in the 90’s, we have been seeking out exceptional but not so well known watchmakers and making something unique with them. Many of them have become famous because of working with us! François Paul Journe, we’ve all heard of Journe, but when we did the Opus 1 with him, he wasn’t that well known.

Ed: Are you concerned about views by purists about Harry Winston not being a “true manufacturer.”

Luis: Some of the other companies around us are just putting straps on pre-made watches. Many of the cheaper brands are processing huge volumes on something like 300 square meters of floor space. We are focused on what we’re good at, innovation, cooperation, and gem setting. We’re not afraid of saying we don’t make the movements.

Ed: How independent is the manufactory from the corporate in Toronto and New York?

Luis: we’re given quite a bit of freedom in what we do. All the jewelry is made in New York on 5^th Avenue and they sometimes lend expertise about gem setting. But we operate pretty much independently.

Ed: Since Harry Winston is located in Geneva, is there any desire to pursue qualifications such as the Geneva seal, Qualité Flurier, or COSC certification?

Luis: Those are more for marketing; we let our products speak for themselves. The movements come as they do, what can you do.

Ed: The products really do speak for themselves.

It is clear that Harry Winston has a clear sense of direction and identity, with a desire to continuing doing what it does best rather than bandwagon onto trends. Despite the designs being innovative, they’re certainly not trendy. Upon looking at creations 10 years old, I get a feeling that they could have well been made yesterday.

I would like to especially thank Foversta for helping me arrange this visit, without his support this would not have been possible. I also thank Luis Andre and Federica Vono for escorting us through the two-hour tour so soon after the holidays.